Mouthwatering Vegetarian Lasagne Recipe – meat free one day a week for a healthier planet

Did you know that eating habits and carbon dioxide emissions are strictly related? The amount of CO2 produced in the transportation and processing of food depends on our diet: it ranges from 600 kg of CO2 in case of vegetarian diets to 3,000 kg of CO2 for diets based on red meat consumed on a daily basis. It would be enough to be vegetarian a day a week to reverse course or at least to have a more sustainable impact on the earth’s environment.

According to a recent study, every vegetarian meal would save, compared to a meat-based menu, an equivalent of 1656.5 grams of CO2 and water equal to 32 showers. By adopting a vegetarian diet just for one day a week over a year, each of us could save as much energy as required to a light bulb to irradiate continuously for 277 days. And yes, we would also save the lives of many animals.

Bring some water to boil and cook the lasagne sheets for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.

Brown onion in olive oil in a sauce pan. Add salt, pepper, can tomatoes, and olives. Simmer 20 minutes. Turn the fire off and blend the ricotta in the sauce. Set aside.

In another pan melt the butter and add the flour. Gradually add 2 cups of milk and bring the mixture to boil, whisking constantly. After few minutes pour in the remaining cup of milk, add salt and grated nutmeg. Turn off the fire when you get the desired consistency (it must be somewhat thick, creamy).

Cut the aubergine lengthwise in thin slices and stir fry in a pan with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Set aside. Then stir fry the zucchini (cut lengthwise in thin slices) and the chopped carrots together for about 5 minutes. Stir fry the cabbage (cut in stripes).

Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a baking dish or lasagna pan. How many lasagne sheets you need per layer depends on the size of your tray (in my case 4 lasagne was enough).

Layer 1/3 each of lasagna sheets, vegetables, sauce and the bechamel. Repeat 2 times. You will get 3 layers. Cover the last layer only with Bechamel.